The present invention relates generally to furnaces utilizing solar energy as a heat source and more particularly to such a furnace having multiple parabolic reflectors and a Fresnel lens joined in a single mirror structure.
Well known in solar energy utilization is the use of a multitude of mirrors remotely located from a furnace with each positionable so as to track the apparent movement of the sun and reflect radiant energy towards the furnace. Also known in the art is the use of parabolic mirrors and Fresnel mirrors to concentrate radiant energy toward a heat transferring body of the furnace. Typically the focal point of the converging rays will lie in a plane common to a furnace wall or like conductive structure whereat radiant energy is converted to heat for transfer to a medium.